Selected from nearly 600 nominations statewide, Jennifer Van Dusen, a fifth grade general education teacher at Prairie Point Elementary School in Oswego, is one of just 30 finalists for the 2026 Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching, recognized for the impact she is making in the classroom. Jennifer Van
Fox Valley residents in search of support to attend college, graduate school, or trade school, can apply to the Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley’s Scholarship Program for the 2026-2027 school year. The deadline is Tuesday, Jan. 20, at 4 p.m.. Apply online at cffrv.org. The Community Foundation’s Scholarship
Aurora’s Dominican Literacy Center needs women volunteer tutors. DLC executive director Claire Wiesner-Smillie said, “Join our learning community at the Dominican Literacy Center in Aurora! The DLC is looking for women volunteers who seek to serve and support women students in the community through mentorship and English tutoring. “The DLC
By Peter HancockCapitol News Illinoisphancock@capitolnewsillinois.com If advocates, stakeholders, and members of the public were granted all their requests for public school funding next year, lawmakers would have to increase the State’s K-12 education budget by nearly three-quarters of a billion dollars. That’s the approximate total of all the requests that
The Fox Valley Park District (FVPD) is continuing its longstanding commitment to youth enrichment with the launch of its new EPIC after-school program, which includes scholarship opportunities to support families in need through a $330,800 grant from the Dunham Foundation. For 13 years, FVPD, through its Fox Valley Park Foundation,
The Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office has announced a partnership with Aurora University to host an all-day Human Trafficking Summit at 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 21, Aurora University Banquet Hall, Aurora. The summit is designed for law enforcement officers, attorneys, social workers, healthcare professionals, and students interested
State representative Jed Davis (R-Yorkville) filed a bill to bring school choice programs back to the state of Illinois. House Bill 4148 would require Illinois to participate in the federal tax credit school choice program established under the federal One Big Beautiful Bill Act and identify scholarship-granting organizations located in
Illinois State representative Stephanie Kifowit (D-Oswego) expressed her unwavering support for the University Professionals of Illinois, students, and fellow lawmaker Rep. La Shawn Ford. “I stand in full solidarity with the University Professionals of Illinois, our students, and my colleague, Rep. La Shawn Ford, in demanding the immediate release of
By Peter HancockCapitol News Illinoisphancock@capitolnewsillinois.com A new report about education in Illinois suggests that overall, the state has made significant progress in key areas, from readying toddlers for kindergarten to helping young adults earn college degrees or industry certificates before entering the workforce. But it also shows that despite billions
Picture this: You’re standing in front of a bookshelf (or scrolling endlessly through Goodreads), sighing because you just finished a great book and now you have no idea what to read next. Do you risk another mystery that might fizzle out or reread that comfort romance for the fourth time?
National Merit® Scholarship Program commended Marmion Academy students, Evan Jarot and Samuel Schatteman.
Aurora University president Susana Rivera-Mills received the Outstanding Commitment in Education Award from Illinois State treasurer Michael Frerichs at a Hispanic Heritage Month celebration in Chicago September 25. Frerichs’ office hosts the annual event honoring the contributions and accomplishments of the Hispanic community throughout Illinois. The award recognizes Rivera-Mills’ dedication
August 25, 2025Dear editor; August 26, 1920 marks the anniversary of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guaranteeing white women the right to vote. Only decades later did black, brown, Asian and Native American women win suffrage. Despite the vote, women still battle to control their own bodies, wages
Diane Morris, right, announces to the Plano Methodist Church congregation, August 3, that Elizabeth Gould, center, is the recipient of a scholarship, established by Pete and Betty Wolsfeld.
West Aurora High School is proud to announce that two members of the Class of 2026, Emerson Laufenberg and Joshua Hoecker, have each achieved a perfect composite score of 36 on the ACT (American College Test), a standardized exam used for college admissions. A perfect ACT score is a distinction
The Little White School Museum’s first intern, Ronja Schmitz-Weincke, wrapped up her two-month stint as the museum’s first intern in July. The museum internship program was instituted by the Oswegoland Heritage Association Board of Directors early this year. It is being conducted and organized for the heritage association by museum
GROW with GEM (Gratitude Empowerment Motivation), a non profit, will hold its second annual Back To School Bash from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2, at Southwind Community, 1228 S. Fourth Street in Aurora. There will be free haircuts (11 a.m. to 2 p.m.), school supplies, line dancing lessons,
By Andrew AdamsCapitol News Illinoisaadams@capitolnewsillinois.com Illinois students won’t need to fill out applications for most state universities to be admitted — if they have high enough grades. With his signature, governor JB Pritzker on Monday approved a bill creating the direct admissions program. Along with it, he approved bills that
Ms. Alex Rose, Science editor of Ocean Geographic Magazine, Founder of Blue Ring, Explorers Club Fellow, award winning nature photographer and environmental journalist, will be presenting a session, “Strange and Beautiful: Our Oceans and How to Protect Them,” on Wednesday 18, 2025 as part of the Hicks/Wright Organization’s Summer STEAM
The City of Aurora’s Fleet Maintenance Division is excited to announce the donation of a retired hybrid fleet vehicle to West Aurora High School’s Automotive and Technical Center. The Center, which offers automotive technology classes that specialize in various areas of study, including brakes and computer control, will utilize the
